CO129-383 - Public Offices - 1911 — Page 622

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Chinese press.

The result is this very admirable report,

to which there is practically nothing to add.

The only other town in the province where serious

fighting took place was Fatshan, the inhabitants of which

do not at any time enjoy a high reputation for obedience

to law and order. Taking advantage of the outbreak in the

Capital, the local bad characters, assisted perhaps by a

few revolutionaries, proceeded to attack the Yamens on the

evening of the 30th instant and 500 soldiers were despatch-

ed from here to quell the disturbance. An all night fight

ensued until early on the following morning the rising was

suppressed. A partial recrudescence occurred the day after,

but now all is quiet. As showing the efficacy of the bombs

in the hands of the revolutionaries, the fact may be cited,

that one, thrown into a bivouac of 50 soldiers at Fatshan,

killed and wounded no less than 47 men.

The reported trouble at Samshui had nothing to do with

the revolutionary movement. It was a protest against in-

creased taxation recently introduced.

As I telegraphed to you yesterday afternoon, the

Governor General sent one of his Secretaries to inform

me officially on his behalf that complete order had

been restored in the city and throughout the province.

Late at night I received your instructions to furnish

an account of the existing situation for purposes of

supplying an answer to a question in the House of

Commons. Seeing how exaggerated were the rumours

which have been current, I considered that a simple

denial of their truth would suffice, more especially

as you were by that time already in possession of my

previous telegram. There was at no time any danger to

foreign life or property. The only British subjects

whom I advised to leave for Hongkong were the wives

and children of the staff of the Canton-Kowloon Railway

as the DirectorGeneral had officially informed the

Engineer in charge that he could not guarantee the

customary protection. The landing of the naval picket

on Shamien and the steamer wharf, to which reference

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